As Disney Stalemate Hits Day 10, YouTube TV Starts Giving Out $20 Credit

True to their word, YouTube TV will start distributing a $20 credit for subscribers today. The service is still battling Disney in a carriage dispute that meant the loss of ESPN, ABC, Disney Channel, FX, and more. This marks the second weekend football fans have had to miss games on the service.

If you subscribe to YouTube TV, you’ll get an email about how to activate the credit on your next bill. All the credits will be distributed by Nov. 12.

In an effort to woo angry YouTube TV customers, Hulu + Live TV has extended its unusual sale until November 18. If you sign up, you’ll get $25 off the package, and that discount lasts up to 3 months. Because Disney owns the service, you never have to worry about those channels becoming unavailable.

What Should You Use Your $20 Credit On?

If you’ve cut the cord, you’re bound to run into problems like this in the future. That’s why it’s important to have an antenna just in case. ESPN has gotten the okay to put the next two Monday Night Football games on ABC, so those will probably be available for free over-the-air. It’s a one-time investment and it can be a life-saver.

Another option is to use the money you save from YouTube TV to help yourself to Sling’s short-term passes. Sling TV is the only live TV option that allows you to sign up for as little as 24 hours and that only costs $4.99. If you do that, you’ll get all the channels on Sling’s Orange package, which includes ESPN. It’s a decent workaround until the conflict settles.

Another option is to bite the bullet on ESPN Unlimited. That’s a little more expensive at $29.99, but you’d get everything from ESPN, more than 1,000 out-of-market NHL games, extra college sports, and free Disney+ and Hulu.

When Will This Stalemate End?

This has been an unusually long fight. YouTube TV usually clears these things up within a day or two. Disney is losing revenue and its affiliates are frustrated. But Disney now owns 3 separate providers that can deliver ESPN (Hulu + Live TV, ESPN Unlimited, and Fubo), so maybe it’s willing to let the battle go on in the hopes it will scoop up more subscribers.

If I had to guess, the two sides will likely resolve this before Thanksgiving, but the fact that it’s gone this long suggests there may be more bad blood than in a typical dispute.